Aeroplane



Aug. 7,1928. 1,679,356

H. GRUNEWALD AEROPLANE Filed Dec. 22, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l Min use:

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In r en tar:

Aug. 7, 1928.,

1,679356 H. GRUNEWALD AEROPLANE Filed Dec. 22, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fig. 18-

Patented Aug. 7 1928.

UNITED STATES HEINRICH GBUNEWALD, OI DISBEN, GERMANY.

AEBDPLANE.

' ppliation illedneoember 28, 1827, Serial No. 241,875, and. in Germany Kay 8, 1927.

This invention relates to an improved aeroplane, of which the construction is based upon as true an imitationas possible, of the flight of birds (aviation) the required driving power being thereby reduced to aFminimum so that it is even possible to drive the aeroplane with the aid of the human mus cular strength only.- v

The improved aeroplane isillustrated on the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figs. land 2 are respectively a plan view and a side view of the same, 1

Figs. 3, 3 and 4 show-diagrammatical ripresentations of .details of the wings there- 0 9 Q Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively a fragmentary plan view and a side view of the tail thereof on a larger scale,

Fi s. 7 to 10 inclusive show the driving mem rs for-the movement of the wings ona larger scale in different sections and elevations,

Fig. 11 is'a' plan view of one feather of the wings, on a larger scale,

Figs. 12, 13 and 14 show some details in perspective views,

Figs. 15, 16 and 17 show details of the skeleton for the wings, and

Figs. 18 and 19 are sections on the lines XVIII-XVIII, and XIXXIX respectively, of Fig. 15.

The frame 1 of the aero lane carries two wings A and B and a tail whichare pivotal y connected thereto.

Each wing comprises a skeleton (Fig. 15) consisting of three bars 2, 3, 4 linked together by 'oints 5, 6. The axes of the latter are located at an angle to one another (Fig. 16),'so that the bars 2, 3, 4, as soon as the are folded, lie in different lanes (see dotte line position thereof in Fig. 17). Said bars are tightened with each other'by means of parallelogram guides 7, 8. Said bars or ides carry by means of bandages or the ike, the rods 36 which are inserted in the feather quills of the wing feathers 10. Said feather quills are formed of curved metal sheets 29, 30 (Fig. 12), of which the lower one may again consist of two curved metal sheets 30, 31 (Fig. 13) overlapping one another at 32. Thereby, an interlacin of the feather quills is created. Said meta sheets have flanges. 33, between which thin elastic metal foils 34 of steel or light metal are inserted with rubber tightenmgs and in common riveted to the curved metal sheets29,

30, 31. Said metal foils 34 form the beards of the feather uills and can be of different length to suit t e nature and kind of birds,

feathers. For strengthening the same, they are corrugated (Fig. 14) while they overlap each other like roof tiles. The corrugation of said metal foils does not extend to their outer edges, the foils remaining smooth in or spread with ascending wing (Fig. 4; up- I wardly pointing arrow).

The feathers as afore described form the supporting planes of the wings A and B and of the tail C. According to whether during the wing stroke the wing skeleton is more unfolded or more folded, the feathers are by the parallelogram guides 7, 8 alternately more closed or more opened like a birds wing. In order to attain during the wing stroke a troughlike formation of each wing (likethat of a birds wing), upon which the improved arrangement and its novel action are inter alia principally based, a separate thumb wing 10 (Figs. 1 and 15) is arranged at the.front of each main wing, which thumb wing corresponds to the similar thumb wing of birds. Said thumb wing is adjustable, so that with ascending main wing it is adjusted more .to the lane of the latter (Fig. 3) while with escending main wing 1t is turned more transversely to the front edge of the latter (Fig. 3*). With normal wing stroke, said adjustment of the thumb wing is automatically effected by the holder 40, on which the feathers of the thumb wing 1O are arranged, being turnable with a sleeve 41 (Fig. 15) about the outer bar 4 and influenced by a coil spring 42, while besides a pullin cord 43 is attached to said holder and'a apted to move in guides 44, 45 parallel to the bars 2,- 3 and tightened to the frame 1 of the aeroplane. The parallelogram guidelof the w ng skeleton is thereby sup lemented. During the folding and unfol ing of the wing skeleton, the thumb wing 10" is automatically adjusted by the pulling cord 43, the holder 40 rebounding each time by action of the coil spring 42. To increase the troughlike formation of each wing, the outer wing feathers 10' are arwing feathers 10 is automatically caused to participate in said adjustment. Said adjustments of the feathers 10 and 10" can furthermore take place intentionally for each individual wing for steering the aeroplane through curves or thelike. To this end, each pulling cord 43 is further connected in the conventional manner with the steering lever 56 arranged in front of the aviators seat 57 in the aeroplane.

The two wings A and B are set in striking motion by a driving mechanism of particular construction. As shown in Fi 7 to 10, the same comprises a toothed or c ain ring 19 that can be rotated, either, by a motor 26, of which the cooler 28 projects beyond the front end of the frame 1 of the aeroplane, and by means of a chain 27 (Fig. 2), or, by treadles like bicycle pedals) operated by the muscu ar strength of the aviators legs. Said ring 19 rolls then by means of rollers 20 on both faces thereof along annular races 18 of Z-shaped cross-section, which are arranged between ring sections 17 into al with the frame 1. Said ring 19 carries on both its faces a lug 21 attached at an angle thereto. Said lugs 21 contain ball-bearings 22, which are turnably arranged therein by means of Gardan joints 24 with rings 25 (Fig. 9), for the pins 23 of forked levers 11, which are joined to the wing skeleton. During the rotation of the toothed ring 19 each lever 11 oscillates with its bearing 15 about the frame 1 of the aeroplane. Besides, each lever 11 is with pins 16 thereon turnable in the plane about the bearing 15. Thereb the wing stroke can become circulating uring the up and down movement of the wings. For a correct adjustment of each wing, the bar 2 of its skeleton is adjustable in its respective lever 11 by means of a ivot 12 in the forked lever about which the ar 2 is turnable and by means of a series of holes 14 in the free end of said bar through either of which a locking bolt 13 passin through the lever 11 can be inserted (Figs. 7 and 10).

The eathers 10 of the tail C (Figs. 5 and 6) are with their rods 36 turnable about pins in a support 48, springs 49 being inter osed between all the inner ends of said ro s 36, which are connected with a common pulling cord 52 passing through an orifice 51 in the support 48 and leading to the steerin lever 56 mentioned. By pulling said cord 56. By turning the rod 54, the tail C can be turned to the right or the left, while besides it can be turned up and down, for height steering, into the dotted-positions C and C shown in Fig. 2 about its pivot 53, which latter turning can be effected b suitable steering contrivances (not s own) known in the art.

The spaces between the feather rods 36 are, like in a birds wing, covered by separate feathers 10, and the whole plumage of each win can be adapted to that of the individual 'nds of birds, such as an eagle, a buzzard, an albatross, or the like.

All parts of the aeroplane are, as far as possible, made of refined light metal, as

are especially the wing and tail feathers, the weight of t e aeroplane becoming thereb rather light, so that, for starting and lan ing the same, it is sufficient to provide a broad runner 58 with upwardly curved front end suspended from the underside of the frame 1 at the front part thereof by means of springs 60, while near the tail end of the aeroplane a rearwardly depending springy tongue 59 is arranged.

By the automatic adjustment of the wing feathers due to their parallelogramlike tightenings, of which the guides 7 are joined at 9 to the frame 1, and by the troughlike formation of the wings by means of the thumb wings 10 and the outer wing feathers 10, it is attained that the air is efl'ectivel caught during the wing stroke while with ascending wing the air is allowed to freely pass therethrough due to the resiliency of the elastic win feathers 10 and their beards 34 (Fig. 4). y the air pressure the elastic feather quills are tensioned in forward direction, so that at the subsequent untensioning of the wing feathers in rearward direction the aeroplane is driven forward.

What I claim, is:

1. In an aeroplane, the combination with a frame thereo an aviators seat therein, a steering lever in front of said seat, two lateral striking wings and a tail pivotally connected to said frame, of a rotary gearing for operating said wings, a skeleton for each wing consisting of bars linked to each other at different angles, parallelogram guides for tightening said bars, adjustable wing feathers and a thumb wing on said skeleton, like the win feathers and the thumb wing of birds, sald thumb wing being turnable up and down durin the win stroke about the front edge of t e wing an the outer wing feathers participating in said turning movement thereby creating a troughlike formation of the wing during its stroke, and a pulling cord to intentionally adjust said thumb wing and outer win feathers also from said steering lever, sai

tail consisting of feathers like a birds tail and being ad ustable from the aviators seat to'the right and left and in upand down ward directions while its feathers can be spread and closed.

2. An aero lane as specified in claim 1, in which said motion comprises a toothed ring, annular races guiding said ring between them, ring sections integral with said frame and supporting said annular races, lugs on both faces of said toothed ring projecting at an an le therefrom','ball-bearin s in said In s, for ed levers engaging wit their pinli e ends in said ball-bearings and turnable and oscillatable about said frame, vand holders on said levers carrying said wing skeletons.

3. An aeroplane as specified in claim 1, in which said win and tail feathers consist of curved metal s eets with lateral flanges forming the quills thereof, and of light elastic metal foils forming the feather beards on and riveted between said quills, said foils being corrugated exce t for a smooth surface at their outer e lges and overlapping each other like roof t' es.

4. An aeroplane as specified in claim 1, in which said win and tail feathers consist of curved metal eets with lateral flanges forming the uills thereof and of light elastic metal foiis forming the feather beards on and riveted between said quills, said foils rotary gearing for the wing s eets havin part1 lateral flanges bearing upon each 0t er an partly hooked edges en gaging over each other.

5. In an aeroplane as specified in claim 1, in which said wing skeleton consists of three bars linked together by joints of which the axes lie at different angles of inclination, rods pivoted to said bars and guided by said parallelogram guides, said rods and bars olding the feather quills of the wing feathers.

6. In an aeroplane as specified in claim 1, holders turnable in de endence upon one another on the outerars of each wing skeleton for the thumb wing feathers and for the outer wing feathers, and coil springs influencin said holders and causin the same to re ound after the operation of said thumb wing and said outer wing feathers, said holders being'connected with said pulling cord.

In an aeroplane as s cified in claim 1, a holder for the tail feat ers of which the quills are turnable therein and at their ends spring-influenced, and a common ull' cord attached to the ends of said qu1 ls air i5 leading to said steering lever.

8. In an aeroplane as specified in claim 1, a turnable rod eading to the aviators seat and to which said tail is pivotally connected.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

' HEINRICH GRUNEWALD. 

